Police departments in the North Allegheny area address needs, shortages

Police departments in the North Allegheny region are addressing various needs, from more staffing to newer facilities.

The McCandless Police Department currently is advertising for positions. Chief Ryan Hawk said they fall just short of their traditional manpower because of recent retirements.

“We are down two officers right now, but our plan is to address that shortage with this hiring process and intend to be prepared annually to have an active eligibility list in anticipation of future retirements,” Hawk said.

In the past six months or so, McCandless had two officers retire, he said. Officer Mark King served about 23 years and Lt. Jeff Basil served for 31 years, Hawk said. There also are several officers closing in on retirement eligibility, with at least three of them planning to do so in the next three years.

That’s a lot of talent to replace.

“With so much experience walking out the door, it adds to the challenge of hiring new, youthful replacement officers,” Hawk said.

He added the police profession has endured many challenges in recent years, resulting in early retirements and less interest in being a police officer nationwide. Typically, the police department has 22 patrol officers, two lieutenants, one detective and four sergeants, among other supporting positions. They also have one K-9 unit, according to the department’s webpage at townofmccandless.org.

“There is not a police department in the Pittsburgh area — and probably nationwide — that hasn’t felt the challenges of officer shortages in recent years,” Hawk said.

But there are incentives to working in the North Hills area.

A police officer in McCandless has a starting salary of about $62,300 in 2025, and, based upon collective bargaining, that rate increases by approximately 3% in 2026, Hawk said. The top salary for the town in 2025 is $114,000.

“In McCandless, benefits include enjoying community support while being provided generous advancement opportunities within the department that include specialization in areas such as North Hills Special Response Team, investigations division, crash scene reconstruction, traffic enforcement, K-9, community engagement/relations, among others,” said Hawk, who has been with McCandless for 22 years, previously serving three years with the City of Pittsburgh Police Department.

Hawk also graduated from the FBI National Academy last year.

Areas like McCandless typically see less crime, but Hawk said that doesn’t make the suburbs immune to trouble.

“While crime transcends jurisdictional boundaries, it is generally safer to patrol suburbs over policing in a major city. But make no mistake that bad things can happen anywhere,” he said.

Applications for the McCandless police officer must be completed and submitted to the police department by 4 p.m. June 23. The hiring process begins with a physical agility test and a written exam on July 1.

Individuals with a four-year degree, completion of the Act 120 municipal police certification or at least four years of full-time police experience would qualify to apply, Hawk said.

There are additional qualifiers that include a mix of police experience, education and military experience. The full list of qualifications can be found in the online advertisement at townofmccandless.org.

Franklin Park

Franklin Park police Chief Aron Leach said his department is fully staffed with 18 sworn officers, including himself.

“At this time, we don’t have any open positions or immediate staffing needs. That said, like all departments, we continue to navigate ongoing challenges related to technology upgrades, equipment costs and maintaining the high level of service our residents have come to expect,” he said.

Residents might be interested in following the latest activities of the officers on Facebook and Instagram, which Leach said is the best way to stay abreast of department news.

“We’ve recently increased our social media presence to better highlight some of these unique and human aspects of local policing,” Leach said.

Visit www.franklinparkborough.us for links to its social media pages.

Northern Regional Police Department

The Northern Regional Police Department, which serves Bradford Woods, Seven Fields and the townships of Marshall, Pine and Richland, is in the middle of a feasibility study of its headquarters along Pearce Mill Road in Pine.

“As far as current needs, we are in desperate need of an improved facility. We have been in the same office space since the early 1980s and are outgrowing our station,” said Northern Regional Chief Bryan DeWick.

Specifically, the station is outdated and lacks technological upgrades. More space would be beneficial to fit the needs of a 40-plus officer department, he said. The study will help them determine what is needed and provide options on future planning.

“Our feasibility study is finishing up this month so we expect to have it in hand very soon,” DeWick said.

With 40 officers on staff, including two active K-9 units, Northern Regional also is in the interview process and plans to hire additional officers this year, DeWick said.

“Based upon previous staffing studies, we should be at 46 officers by the end of the year. I do not anticipate us getting to that number but hope to build over the next few years,” he said.

Northern Regional officers work 12-hour shifts with every other weekend off and use of an in-house gym facility. Starting pay is $73,000, with lateral transfer pay at $84,000 for those with three or more years of experience, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. The 2025 top pay is listed at more than $106,000.

For details and to apply, visit www.nrpolice.com.